China to host Davis Cup finals group stage matches for first time

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced on Thursday that China will be hosting the group stage matches of the Davis Cup finals in September for the very first time.

The Hengqin International Tennis Center in Zhuhai has been selected as the venue for one of the four groups, while the remaining three groups will be held in Manchester, Valencia, and Bologna from September 10-15, as confirmed by the ITF.

Bologna and Valencia have been chosen to host the group stage matches for the third consecutive year, while Manchester will hold them for the second consecutive time.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the final eight, which is scheduled to take place from November 19-24 in Malaga. Malaga also hosted the round last year.

Italy, the defending champions, and Australia, the runners-up in 2023, have directly qualified for the 16-team group stage. Britain and Spain have been granted wildcard entries.

The remaining 12 teams in the final group stage have qualified through the qualifiers. These teams include Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia, and the U.S.

The draw to determine the group placements will be conducted on Tuesday, as announced by the ITF.